As opioid deaths drop, fight against overdoses should continue, says expert
Opioid-related overdose deaths in the U.S. dropped significantly between 2023 and 2024, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An April 17 article in the Christian Science Monitor outlined factors that likely contributed to the 25.7% decline, including increased accessibility to naloxone, which can reverse an overdose; increased access to treatment for substance abuse disorders; a resumption of services that were disrupted during the pandemic; and shifts in the supply of illegal drugs.
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in the article that he is “cautious but hopeful” about the decline in drug overdose deaths. But, he added, “This is not the time to take the foot off the pedal.”
“This is a really important moment to pay attention to the trends,” said Koh, who served a senior public health adviser during the Obama administration. “Not to declare victory, but to increase our commitment to working together on this. We need the current administration to step up and accelerate the momentum and not cut back its commitment through funding cuts and laying off public health workers at the state and federal level.”
Read the Christian Science Monitor article
Remember the opioid crisis? 46 states recorded a decline in overdose deaths.
